Imperial to Revolutionize Marvel's Cosmic Heroes

In 2025, Marvel is set to launch one of its most ambitious and expansive comic book series yet: Imperial. Spearheaded by the visionary writer Jonathan Hickman, who is renowned for his transformative works like House of X and the new Ultimate Universe, this series promises to redefine the landscape for Marvel’s cosmic heroes, including Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Just as Hickman’s previous projects have revitalized their respective franchises, Imperial is poised to establish an entirely new status quo in the cosmic realm of the Marvel Universe.

To delve deeper into how Imperial will revolutionize the cosmic narrative, IGN conducted an exclusive email interview with Hickman. Before we dive into the details, take a look at the exclusive preview in the slideshow gallery below to get a glimpse of what's in store.

Marvel's Imperial #1 Preview Gallery

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The origins of Imperial sparked our curiosity. Was this a story Hickman was eager to tell, or did Marvel approach him with the intention of replicating the success of Krakoa and Ultimate Invasion? According to Hickman, 2025 was the perfect time to re-examine Marvel’s cosmic universe with a fresh perspective.

“I think it was simply time to revisit this corner of the Marvel Universe,” Hickman shared with IGN. “That I was available and interested, and that it’s been of ongoing interest to the company, and that the model of launching something like this had just been done with the Ultimate line, all added up to it feeling like this was an opportunity to do Imperial. It’s come together well and I think people are going to enjoy it. It’s a fun book.”

The success of the new Ultimate line over the past two years is undeniable, and it's natural to draw parallels between that and how Imperial is being positioned as the cornerstone for a new wave of cosmic books. We asked Hickman how closely he sees these initiatives aligning and if he’s applying any lessons from launching the Ultimate Universe to Imperial.

“You can, in my opinion, draw a direct line between the two in terms of what we think can succeed with in the current market,” Hickman explained. “A small, tight line of books that readers can invest in and not feel overwhelmed, and where creators can execute their vision for the individual titles without drowning in external continuity seems to be a pretty solid model of how to launch something like this.”

Hickman added, “The big difference, obviously, is that this isn’t set in an alternative Marvel Universe, so we won’t be doing the ‘real time’ aspect of the Ultimate line. Which has its pluses and minuses, but I think most people will be pleased about.”

The 2006 Annihilation crossover, which significantly altered the status quo for Marvel’s cosmic heroes and shifted the balance of power, comes to mind when thinking about Imperial. We wondered if Hickman sees any similarities between the two.

“No. Simply because that’s an invasion story and this isn’t anything like that,” Hickman clarified. “The ‘what-you-get’ end results might be similar in that all of a sudden there are a bunch of Marvel cosmic books you care about. But plot/story-wise? No.”

Imperial draws upon elements from Hickman’s previous Marvel projects. For instance, the recent “Hunt for Xavier” crossover in the X-Men line addressed lingering threads from the Krakoan era, setting the stage for Imperial by reviving the former Shi’ar Empress Lilandra and reuniting her with Charles Xavier to rescue their daughter Xandra. Additionally, Imperial introduces the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, an idea first hinted at during 2015’s Secret Wars and later developed in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther series.

Despite these connections, Hickman notes that Imperial isn’t as closely tied to his prior work as one might assume.

“Well, I’m kind of notorious for mining my own continuity inside of the greater Marvel one, but I’d say well over half of this is more like me picking up pieces from a bunch of extended stories that have been done over the years by other creators than me just picking up plot threads from my previous books,” Hickman said. “Sure, there’s some of that in there, but not as much as some people might expect.”

Imperial also shifts the Hulk family towards a more cosmic direction, with the preview art showing Hulk and She-Hulk returning to the war-torn planet Sakaar, reminiscent of the 2006 Planet Hulk storyline. Hickman confirmed that this return to Sakaar is intentional, given the upcoming twentieth anniversary of Planet Hulk.

Hickman teased, “All I’ll say there is we’re coming up on the twentieth anniversary of Planet Hulk and Marvel doesn’t usually let those opportunities pass by.”

Finally, we inquired about the decision to split the series between artists Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello, and how this creative choice enhances the storytelling.

“Both of those guys are crushing it,” Hickman praised. “I’ve been very pleased and surprised at how they’ve tackled some of the story beats, character designs, and wild locations this thing has. And with the book having a compressed publishing schedule (we actually moved it forward at the beginning of the year), the only way it could be done was for them to tag team it. The trick there is they have to complement each other and that’s clearly the case here.”

Imperial #1 is set to hit the shelves on June 4, 2025.